Richard Mille

Grail:

Looks great on your wrist, and nice shirt btw.

Cheers,
Anthony

Wow!  Congrats!  How do you like it so far?

-MW

Its everything I thought it would be - I have been coveting this piece for several years. Previously owned an RM010, which was awesome, that I then traded up to an RM011, which I was not happy with because of the jumping hands situation caused by the modular movement. I knew the 004 was the top of the heap for me but never had a realistic opportunity to purchase one until recently.

I have to admit that it took some reflecting and soul searching before pulling the trigger especially in light of the recent posting by gls and some of the other anecdotes I heard of some pieces having some quirks with the split second function (as evidenced in Richard's own post from last month). This particular watch has been working flawlessly, and in any case I don't intend to play with the split function all day long.

In addition, I figure that if there are in fact further design changes, I will send it in and it will come back like a new one (granted it could take some time ..). My hope of course is that the watch will continue to work perfectly and I could determine when to send it in for service on my own schedule, or maybe never ..

So I am currently very happy with it and just astounded at the depth of the dial, the intricacies of the spectacular movement, and just the sheer uniqueness of the RM pieces. There truly is nothing else like them out there and I can't get enough of them. For me personally they embody all the things I love: cutting edge design and look, mechanical wizardry, high end technology, and motorsports themes. As a comparable, I had a PP5970 a couple years ago but it only lasted a brief period of time - even though it is a 'grail' watch for many and is beautifully finished, it just did not say anything to me when I wore it. I had convinced myself that it would be the ultimate for me because of all the hype. The lesson I learned that time is that you have to listen to your heart rather than your head when it comes to watches ...

This is a SUPER RM!

I tried it some months ago at the Paris RM Boutique, and I fell in love with.

So, I'm very happy for you.

Best.

Nicolas

The croc strap looks very nice with it.
Wear it in the best of health!

Beautiful looking watch, and I do like the look of the strap too....come on post up so more pics please, front & back..lets have a look at your baby in all its glory ...good man

watch.  More the any other watch, this is the one that is in continual development.  Along with the RM002 - the quintessential RM watch.

Wear in the best of health

Andrew H

Congratulations on a truly fine acquisition.

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Really liking the croc strap too. Mind you I do wish RM would shape the straps a little more.,Tthe cases of the watches are so pleasently curved and yet when it comes to the straps they dont blend into the watch in the way I would like. For example here are two pics, one of the rubber strap on an RM10, look how beauifully it follows the lines of the case, how it flows from the watch as one with it, rather than just appearing as a secondary thought, and I am not talking about the vents here, thats an added extra, the lines of the strap follow the case superbly. Also a picture of the AP Barichello, again another fine example of how the strap has been designed to compliment the watch and adds to the flowing lines.

I know that Richard has had a lot of hassles with the watch straps etc, so I wont go on, but it really surprises me that other than the rubber strap there has been no effort to come up with a strap that compliments his watch cases, which I find very peculiar bearing in mind the time & effort he goes to in designing the beautiful cases.

Dont wish to highjack the thread in anyway, but just seeing your beautiful 4, and seeing the quality of the band just reminds me of the same thing I see when admiring many RM's...and that is the straps need a little more thought to provide synergy.

 

nt

Welcome to the club. Wear it in the very best of health..... 

IMHO, the finest split seconds sports chrono on the planet.

Wear it in good health

BB

The Goal is Soul

nt

wear it in the best of health

Congratulations!  I do agree the watch is a beautiful work of art.
I was once tempted myself to get one.

You certainly are one brave soul buying one in light of their
reputation for lack of reliability.

I suggest you avoid using the chronograph much.  There really
aren't that many times you have to use a chronograph anyway.
Maybe when it does finally break, Richard Mille will have a better
understanding how to fix them.
Eric von Schonberg

Hello All

There seems to consistant tone of negativity by several forum members regarding RM and reliability.

Let me allow some rays of Sunshine in..........

The watch you are buying comes with a guarantee...........and yes........the watches come back repaired.

As for the 004................it is a watch in constant development.................the engine and its various parts are constantly being tweaked..........if a 004 goes in for a minor service or repair , or a major overhaul , the 004 returns with these new parts or improved components..............................This is all part of being a 004 owner.............you become a part of watchmaking history and evolution..................yes , the 004 is significant enough to be a part of split second chrono history! , and is considered by many in the industry as one of the finest watches EVER.............

The company does not excuse any malfunctions , they accept  and improve on it.............

Watches are like cars................so if you think Ferrari and Lambos are troublesome and moody( RM , Urwerk, AP Concept ...................buy a Porsche or Merc. (LemaniaPatek 5070...lange...IWC)..............If you think all these cars are overpriced , go and buy a Toyota or Kia.(Seiko , Tag)

If you are happy with a c class merc......great..........If you want an SL65 black series and you can afford it.............brilliant................you dont need to justify your purchase to anyone other than perhaps your wife

Life is about freedom of choice based on ones own decision making process...................If you feel you will have post purchase remorse...........dont buy it...........just use the picture as a screensaver!

 

Different strokes for different folks ! Life is way too short to constantly find faults and be negative.

RM has only itself to blame for casting the grey cloud.  The rhetoric about owning some truly groundbreaking
technology that can be quirkly only goes so far.

The fact of the matter is that when you buy some Mercedes that has problems, it doesn't sit at the shop
for 6 months with no progress made.  I actually accept the fact that a truly innovative movement may take
some time to get right, but I can't accept the amount of time that RM seems to take, giving absolutely
no priority to service.

The part that gets me is reading that they worked on his watch for 6 months, and still didn't make any
progress.  Yeah, I'm sure they didn't work very hard on it, and I'm sure they gave all their priority to
making new RM004s to sell, and not servicing what they already sold.

That's enough to keep me from buying a RM004.  Even if everyone had to send their RM004 for serrvice
to get it right, I could accept that and take the chance, but come on, waiting 6 months for nothing is not
something I'm willing to do.
Eric von Schonberg
This message has been edited by eric.vonschonberg on 2009-02-08 12:38:20

point about being brave, Fomar presents an alternative view and his own experience (which I know goes beyond your single RM010 -- which I understand is still working accurately and without problem).  We have been here before about 3 months ago (I think).  If you continue to make unsubstantiated comments on a few (at best) data points, I will simply remove your posts in future.

My apologies at the Draconian tone of this post, but you have previously been warned, and this grows tiresome.  You are welcome to make your opinion, which is usually on the negative, but if you continue to on this path, I will regretfully remove your posting.

Thanks for your understanding

Andrew H

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I'll get it from someone like you.  You clearly didn't get a DUD.  I'm certainly not
going to take the chance and buy one from an AD and risk getting one that
sits forever in service.

On the other hand, if there are only a few like you who got a good one, it could
take a while locating one.
Eric von Schonberg

I am the second owner of this RM004. So far it is working perfectly. I have used the chrono a few times, but certainly not trying to test its longevity, since that seems pointless, as every complicated watch can be tested to failure if you try hard enough, whether its a minute repeater or a rattrapante.

On this topic in particular, I think it is worth asking what the expectation for the chrono is - the specifications of the RM004 state that the movement needs to be serviced every 3-4 years, since inevitably things will need to be oiled, realigned, and adjusted over time. So, by suggesting to use the chrono 'often', to me this just means accelerating the time between the service intervals, which inevitably are required for a complicated watch. You are effectively just applying more wear & tear to the movement than is normal.

I have not owned any other split second chronos, but I am sure if you were to take a PP5959 or a L&G double split, and cycle the chrono a thousand times, you will likely run into some malfunction pretty soon .. and it will have to go back for service. These are delicate machines with hundreds of tiny parts working in very delicate balance, and they should be treated with respect. Or am I mistaken here?

I am very curious to hear people's thoughts on what constitutes normal use of the chrono and what is abuse.

One thing I do agree about is that 6 months is far too long a service time for the watch to not be returned perfectly functioning .. that needs some explaining. In particular, I think that in this circumstance the watch should be replaced with a new one that has been QC. If I spend this kind of money on a watch, I deserve to be getting maximum wrist time for it.

With regards to my watch in particular and taking a leap of faith - I checked out the watch history carefully and was satisfied with that, and I am willing to accept that the watch will need to be serviced at some point, as normal with any watch. In addition, I am bought into the fact that RM will upgrade the watch as improvements are made, and I truly believe that the movement in this watch is second to none, as is the design and look which I fell in love with when I started with RM and the 010.

By the way, if you have are thinking about buying the 011 instead of the 004, and you are in the fortunate circumstance to choose among these, then I would highly recommend you go with the 004, if you are mentally ready for that. I owned one of the first 011, and while it looked great, the quality of the movement and its complication is like night and day between these two. In fact, in terms of 'value', even though the 004 is significantly more money I feel like it is truly worth it because of the time that goes into the manufacturing. In the case of the 011, you are basically buying a standard modular chrono movement that has been tweaked up and embellished, but nothing fundamentally different from what you would find in a ROO or similar. This is taking nothing away from the 011, it is an awesome looking watch, but I just don't see these as comparables. When you are looking at an 004 you are dealing with a different level of watchmaking and mechanical prowess, with all the caveats that come with that. Unfortunately this translates to difficulty in assembly/tuning/service .. its a price you might have to pay.

in closing - to each his own.

The word "often" can mean different things to different people. Perhaps I should have clarified what I meant. I do not wear my 004 everyday but probably 3-4x per week. The chrono function and split function when used is not done so for hours at a time but as needed/ wanted in brief stints so to speak. I do not feel this is overuse and will result in my watch needing to be serviced earlier. If however it does need to be than so be it. I ascribe to the principals that fomar expressed. Congratulations on your new purchase and I hope you have as much enjoyment owning it as I have.

This message has been edited by Eye of the Storm on 2009-02-08 16:22:09

To be clear, my post was mainly referring to Eric's comments.

I also agree with fomar. I bought the watch for the same reason I think most people buy a chronograph in this price range - primarily to look at it / wear it/admire the movement, and to occasionally time something or show it to someone. And by that, I mean wearing it a few times a week in rotation with other watches, and using the chrono less than 10 times/week on average. This to me would be 'normal' use of the 004. To be honest I will probably use the chrono even less than that, I really have nothing I need to time on a regular basis. I also know what day of the week it is by looking at my iPhone, and really had no need for a PP5970 either.

I love the 004 and RM because of the motorsports motif, and the split second chrono embodies the idea of motorsports in the purest way compared to any other complication. That was my motive.

Is anyone buying this kind of watch really using it to time races or events where they will be doing 50 activations/day? I think that would be 'abnormal' use, and one shouldn't be surprised if it causes more frequent visits to the factory. If that is the intended use, they should be using a much more reliable and accurate digital stopwatch like you see at an F1 race.

NIce very nice

As Andrew H said, this is the quintessential Richard Mille.  Wear it in good health.
Greg